Which term describes a circular movement of a limb that traces a cone in space?

Which term describes a circular movement of a limb that traces a cone in space?

• A. Flexion
• B. Abduction
• C. Rotation
• D. Circumduction

Answer: (D)

The movement described is a cone-shaped, circular path of the distal limb around a joint. This is circumduction: it combines flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction to move the end of a limb in a circular trajectory, often at a shoulder or hip joint. An example is tracing a circle with your hand while the arm stays relatively proximal, which creates that cone-shaped path in space. Flexion decreases the joint angle (like bending the elbow); abduction moves the limb away from the midline in a broad arc but not in a full circle; rotation turns a part around its own long axis without producing the cone-shaped path. So circumduction best describes the described motion.

The movement described is a cone-shaped, circular path of the distal limb around a joint. This is circumduction: it combines flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction to move the end of a limb in a circular trajectory, often at a shoulder or hip joint. An example is tracing a circle with your hand while the arm stays relatively proximal, which creates that cone-shaped path in space.

Flexion decreases the joint angle (like bending the elbow); abduction moves the limb away from the midline in a broad arc but not in a full circle; rotation turns a part around its own long axis without producing the cone-shaped path. So circumduction best describes the described motion.